6.8 C
New York
Friday, March 29, 2024

Buy now

EXCLUSIVE: Edwidge Danticat on the Writing Process, and Her New Novel Claire of the Sea Light (Part 1)

Edwidge Danticat-demme

Edwidge Danticat has an obsession with the sea, from The Children of the Sea, a harrowing story from her short story collection Krik? Krak! to her latest work Claire of the Sea Light. The book centers on Claire Limyè Lanmè, a little girl who vanishes in a small fishing hamlet in Haiti on her seventh birthday. It has a thriller-like pace that’s reminiscent of The Dewbreaker. The last time Danticat had a juvenile protagonist was in Behind the Mountain and of course Anacaona: Golden Flower, but there is something extremely odd about little Claire, and she is bound to be ranked among Danticat’s most memorable protagonists.

How did the idea for Claire of the Sea Light come about?
Once, I was watching a TV program about Haitian children who are placed in foreign-run orphanages in Haiti, even though their parents are still alive. These parents, who, for economic reasons, were unable to care for their children, put them in orphanages, hoping that their children will have a better life. I have a dear friend who grew up this way and eventually reconciled with his birth family as an adult. In the program I was watching, someone said that Haitians are not as attached to their children otherwise they wouldn’t just give them away. That stayed with me because I didn’t grow up in a nuclear family. My brother and I spent the early part of our lives with my aunt and uncle in Haiti, in a house full of cousins, whose parents, like ours, were working abroad. I knew how difficult that choice was for our parents and for my friend’s parents, and many other people who find themselves in that kind of situation. I wanted to try to write about someone making that choice and show the very moment that choice is made from these three different perspectives: the parent, the child, and the potential new parent.

Do you sometimes find yourself feeling torn between painting certain realities about Haiti, and painting another picture? Censoring yourself? Like, sometimes do you think to yourself, “Some people’s only exposure to Haiti are my books. So I’d better…
I love Haiti, and I want others to love it too, but I don’t think creating an alternate reality in which all is rosy and perfect is the only way to write about it, even in fiction. I think it’s important to tell nuanced and complex stories that show many sides to our physical spaces as well as our humanity. Nothing new about that though. That’s what some of our best Haitian writers have been doing for generations now.
danticat-claire2

Who does Edwidge Danticat read in terms of authors and poets? Who are her faves exactly?
I read a lot. I have lots of faves. Currently I am reading Jessica Fievre’s memoir Inheritance in manuscript and it’s spectacular. I am also reading Amy Tan’s new book, The Valley of Enchantment. I am re-reading a lot of older Haitian writers since I am editing a follow up to Haiti Noir, a book called Haiti Noir 2: The Classics.

Speaking of languages, do you think that one day English will supplant French as the language alongside Creole that is spoken and written in Haiti?
I don’t think so. Instead, I’d love to see the role of Creole expand further, in academia, in the educational system. I have now lived in the United States for 32 years. I write in English because of the circumstances of my life, but it’s not something I would want to see imposed on others, especially in their own country.

You tend to shy away from social media and the web…
Believe it or not, I am a little shy, and there is a part of me that feels like social media is the biggest stage in the world. I like the idea of having a book out then fading away for a while to become somewhat invisible again. I kind of need that to reboot and start working on something else. But I am doing a little bit more of the web and social media these days. My publisher does most of the posting on my wonderful Facebook page, but I contribute sometimes as well. And this year, I will finally get a website.

You lived in New York for most of your early life. But when one studies your career history, it seems that since you’ve moved to Miami, it’s like you’ve been producing books practically back to back, with less and less time in between new releases. Do you think that geography has had an influence on your creativity? Like, the closer you are to Haiti, the more inspired you are?
Miami is a great city and living here has definitely made it possible for me to get to Haiti more often. However, I don’t think living in Miami can necessarily be credited for my productivity. Actually I have a lot more responsibility now than I had when I was younger and living in New York. The family. The kids. Aging parents and in laws. Maybe becoming older and having more on my plate has taught me to better manage my time and has given me more to write about.

[Photo Credit: Josephine Demme]

Be sure to connect with the author on her FACEBOOK PAGE. You can purchase the book HERE.

K St. Fort
K St. Fort
ABOUT K. St Fort K. St. Fort is the Editor and Founder of, well, Kreyolicious.com and wishes to give you a heartfelt welcome to her site. She loves to read, write, and listen to music and is fascinated by her Haitian roots, and all aspects of her culture. Speaking of music, she likes it loud, really, really loud. Like bicuspid valve raising-loud. Her other love are the movies. She was once a Top 50 finalist for a student screenwriting competition, encouraging her to continue pounding the pavement. She has completed several screenplays, with Haiti as the backdrop, one of which tackles sexual abuse in an upper middle class Haitian family, while another has child slavery as its subject. She is currently completing another script, this time a thriller, about two sisters who reunite after nearly 10 years of separation. A strong believer in using films to further educational purposes, and to raise awareness about important subjects, she has made it a point to write about social issues facing Haiti, and making them an integral part of her projects. She has interviewed such Haitian-American celebrities as Roxane Gay, Garcelle Beauvais, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Briana Roy, Karen Civil, and many, many more. And that’s her writing this whole biographical sketch. She actually thinks writing about herself in the third person is cute. MY WEBSITE Kreyolicious ™: kree-ohl-lish-uh s: Surely an adjective…the state of being young, gorgeous, fine and utterly Haitian. Kreyolicious.com™, the hub for young, upwardly mobile Haitian-Americans, is akin to a 18th Century cultural salon but with a Millennium sensibility–an inviting lair, where we can discuss literature, music, problems facing the community, and everything on the side and in-between. Kreyolicious is the premier lifestyle, culture and entertainment blog and brand of the hip, young, trend-oriented, forward thinking Haitian-American. It’s the definite hot spot to learn more about Haiti our emerging identity as a people, and explore our pride and passion about our unique and vibrant culture. Within the site’s pages, Kreyolicious.com is going to engage you, empower you, and deepen your connection to everything Haitian: the issues, the culture, our cinema, the history, our cuisine, the style, the music, the worldwide community. Make yourself at home in my cultural salon. If you’re looking to learn more about Haiti, Kreyolicious.com invites you to board this trolley on a journey–on our journey. For me too, it is a process, a non-ending cultural odyssey. If you’re already acculturated, I can certainly learn something from you. We can learn from one other, for certain. With my site, Kreyolicious.com I look forward to inspiring you, to enriching you, and to participating alongside of you, in the cultural celebration. And being utterly kreyolicious. How do you wear your kreyoliciousness? On your sleeves, like I do? Kreyoliciously Yours, Your girl K. St. Fort, Ahem, follow me elsewhere!

Related Articles

Stay Connected

16,470FansLike
3,912FollowersFollow
11,712SubscribersSubscribe
- Advertisement -spot_img

Latest Articles